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They mean nothing. Go walk through some of these new houses. Buy one if you want. They are a joke. Remember Chinese drywall? Still using it. Aluminum wiring? Yup! They build them fast and make money. I see it all the time.
Aluminum wiring is only used today for stranded wiring to high-amp (30+) circuits. It's also a completely different alloy than was used in the 1967-1973 years for aluminum branch wiring. I'll take this over 1950's cloth ungrounded wiring and knob and tube.
I'll take modern wiring, plumbing (pex and PVC vs galvanized and cast iron) and HVAC over older homes. I'll also take vinyl and drywall over lead paint and asbestos.
I trust engineered boards and poured foundations to rock foundations and balloon framing, esp. when one is newly built and the other has experienced decades of weather and neglect.
Rose colored glasses make yesteryear's homes appear much better than they are in reality. All of that said, I do much prefer their style, though. Today's engineered neighborhoods have no character and nothing to distinguish them.
I don't understand those who think side entrance garages are more difficult to get out of. It's certainly safer to enter the street headfirst rather than backing into it.
I'm another who doesn't like to see houses where the garage dominates the front.
We back up down the runway length driveway. I don’t know of anyone who exits headfirst. There’s a sizable parking pad outside of the garage but it’s tight - at least perception wise. Mind you were not neighbor on neighbor either.
Unless the garage is sticking out it doesn’t dominate the front. I find front facing garages to be the most practical.
. Today's engineered neighborhoods have no character and nothing to distinguish them.
When I was looking at model homes here in SW Florida, the one thing I did notice is that they all look basically alike. Master bedroom & bathroom on one side, extra bedrooms on the other side. Open kitchen concept and a family room. Rarely see an an eat-in kitchen anymore except maybe a few bar stools at a counter. Except for the decorating of the models, they were all so predictable and boring. I love the look of a Craftsmen home but you don't see those in Florida, at least not in my part of Florida.
I would agree that the typical production house, while able to take advantage of some new building elements and design as to structure, systems and efficiency, are nonetheless mostly shoddily assembled by limited skilled laborers, regardless if it’s a $150k starter or a $1.5M “executive” house. The only difference is in the size, room count, finishes and often the complexity of roof design or fenestration. But between what most of the RE public desire, what we need, what is available and what we can afford, that’s the product that is out there for the last 40 years or so that’s what we choose from. If you desire a newer custom or semi-custom house with superior design and construction you are going to have to pay for it.
Development costs are so high these days that is why you get small lots, front loading garages and multi-level homes on them because that’s the only product that will pencil out in many markets. Most of us have our own preferences but have pretty well figured out life is a series of compromises and RE is no different.
I get why most folks have pretty much made it mandatory for a house to have a newer, open concept, 3-4br, 2-3ba and at least a 2-3 bay garage. That’s what fits most family’s, or at least close enough, lifestyles these days and most are willing to compromise a bit on the quality and design to get there within their budget also knowing that that typically should represents a good resale proposition. And so that’s the product that gets built.
But I’m like you and more than a few others. The compromises inherent in my 92 y.o. streetcar suburb house: no master suite, smaller rooms, closets, garage, lot etc. are far outweighed for us by its beautiful architecture, traditional layout, solid construction and well crafted finishes in an established neighborhood with similar homes and mature landscaping. It works for us but I understand why it wouldn’t for plenty of other families with different preferences and needs.
We have a family in an 1880s Victorian rowhouse in a small city. Not an open concept. But it works wonderfully for us. And really has worked fine for generations of families. It's not as though Americans just started having families in 2000. There is a current expectation about what people "need" and "should have" which is driven by media and a lemming-like drive to conform to trends.
We have made a career in investing in older homes. Renovating/restoring/selling/renting houses built before 1960. There is a devoted market for older homes that have been carefully updated. There's probably a larger market for what my mate calls "cardboard box houses" or new construction. And there's probably some truly valid reasons for wanting to live in a brand new place-- a friend wants somewhere that there are "no ghosts" so she will only do new builds My concern arises when nice older homes are torn down to make room for massive, unattractive and poor quality new builds as is the OPs. There's always fear that an older house will mean more maintenance but the reality is that new construction is far from the maintenance free purchase that is promised due to build quality. There are still a lot of great old house stock available in many cities. I sincerely hope it's not all torn down based on an idea of a certain design or type of home being the only possibility for families.
When I was looking at model homes here in SW Florida, the one thing I did notice is that they all look basically alike. Master bedroom & bathroom on one side, extra bedrooms on the other side. Open kitchen concept and a family room. Rarely see an an eat-in kitchen anymore except maybe a few bar stools at a counter. Except for the decorating of the models, they were all so predictable and boring. I love the look of a Craftsmen home but you don't see those in Florida, at least not in my part of Florida.
That’s pretty similar to what we have in my area also. The houses these days are just as predictable as 70s ranches and 80s “open floor plan” layouts.
That’s pretty similar to what we have in my area also. The houses these days are just as predictable as 70s ranches and 80s “open floor plan” layouts.
Was in Palm Springs recently which us a hotbed of MCM tract houses. Took a tour and the guide pointed out the similarity of the design on each though the front elevations were different. The predictability has been around for some time.
Trouble is that if you have a unique layout people are USED to predictable and balk. We had a place years ago where you walk right into the kitchen. It was unusual but well done. The house was built in the 1920s by a farmer who really didn't care much about layout and the whole front of the house was part kitchen, part market because his wife sold pies and baked goods. It was restored/renovated but the layout was the same. People freaked out when we went to sell because it was so unusual. We eventually had to subdivide and market it to a live/work buyer who used the front as an art studio.
Heh, I grew up in a house that was built in 1854. and later lived in a house built in 1760.
Talk about different layouts.
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My concern arises when nice older homes are torn down to make room for massive, unattractive and poor quality new builds as is the OPs. There's always fear that an older house will mean more maintenance but the reality is that new construction is far from the maintenance free purchase that is promised due to build quality. There are still a lot of great old house stock available in many cities. I sincerely hope it's not all torn down based on an idea of a certain design or type of home being the only possibility for families.
